The information-communication industry is currently undergoing tremendous change from the constant evolution of new technologies and changing market conditions. As a result, information service providers such as telephone, cable, and wireless carriers, Internet Service Providers and utility companies all have the need to rapidly deploy new systems and system elements and alter their existing management systems to accommodate evolving business and network requirements. These requirements include the ability to integrate existing network equipment and systems with new elements and applications, customize existing systems and applications, and scale systems to accommodate growing networks and traffic volumes.
Network management and operations become crucial to the competitiveness of communication companies, utilities, banks and other companies operating Wide Area Networks (WANs) of computer devices. Many companies currently use customized "legacy" network management systems (NMSs) and operations support systems (OSSs) that are based on older technologies, which poorly integrate disparate network elements. Still others use NMSs and OSSs that are not scaleable, cannot be easily interfaced with disparate network elements, and require costly programming while offering limited features and flexibility.
Objective Systems Integrators, Inc. (OSI) currently produces an NMS sold under the trademark NetExpert.TM.. NetExpert is an object-oriented NMS/OSS that is comprised of a set of integrated software modules and graphical user interface (GUI) development tools that permit the creation and deployment of network management and operations support solutions. The NetExpert framework provides a platform for the creation of a NMS/OSS for nearly any complex WAN. Each element, device and even database may be managed as a separate "object." However, NetExpert, like other NMSs/OSSs on the market today, still requires specific customization for each managed object.
Each element, device and other managed object requires a separate set of rules to be tailored to the nature of the object, its specific hardware and software, and the business practices of the company. Each rule set provides the details for the management of the particular object to which the rules are directed. NetExpert's Fourth Generation Language (4GL) editors permit this customization to be performed by subject matter experts (SMEs). They use their knowledge to create simple sets of rules such as "if-then" statements to manage their NMS, rather than requiring skilled programmers to integrate devices and other elements with additional computer software code such as C and/or C++. However, even with NetExpert's high level language, rule set development is labor and time intensive, as well as subject to human error and expense.
NMSs can manage a wide range of communications and computer devices, from switches and routers, testing devices, video units, banking ATM machines, air traffic control systems and any other computerized device, database and object. OSSs provide a broader layer of functionality to directly support the daily operation of the network, such as order negotiation, order processing, line assignment, line testing and billing. NMSs can be a component of a larger OSS system. However, for the sake of simplicity, but not limitation, the communication switching network context will be used throughout this application.
Each device, for example a switch, has available certain information relating to its operation, such as performance, fault, provisioning and configuration. For each device, the correlation of performance information with operational functions is a labor intensive effort that is typically performed by a skilled programmer. If an equipment provider develops and markets a new switch, typically a skilled programmer has to identify and analyze all of the performance information for that switch. The programmer then correlates that information with all of the functionalities that a customer may desire to use in connection with that switch, and then modifies its existing NMS/OSS program code to manage that switch.
OSI's network management and operations support framework, NetExpert, currently uses a high level language to permit nonprogrammers to write instructions, referred to as rule sets, to manage or route information within NetExpert, between NetExpert systems, or between NetExpert and other programs and functions, without the cost and complexity of other NMSs/OSSs. For example, if a particular fault message is generated by the switch, one customer may want to page a particular technician, while a second customer may only want to have an indicator light activated. Even with NetExpert, these rules have to be entered through 4GL editors. Although SMEs have better knowledge of the business practices of the customer, and the rules can be more easily crafted with NetExpert, the time, cost and complexity of the NMS/OSS is still significant.
While this invention relates to any NMS/OSS, it will be described in reference to OSI's NetExpert system to provide a concrete example of a NMS application.
FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of the prior NetExpert system 10. NetExpert is based on the Telecommunication Management Network (TMN) standards promulgated by the International Telecommunications Union. It supports the development and deployment of applications for the main TMN areas, i.e. fault, configuration, performance, accounting, and security. The NetExpert framework 10 has been designed to manage external systems that include network elements, network element management systems, legacy support systems, CMIP protocol controlled agents/managers, Simple Network Management Protocol ("SNMP") agents/managers, user applications, databases, and personnel. All of these elements 11 are objects that can be managed by the system, and the system can be used to provide functionality at each level of the TMN business model, element management, network management service management and business management levels.
Intelligent Gateway 12 provides the interface between the management system and the objects to be managed. Gateway 12 includes protocol agents, which take specific protocols (e.g. X .25, TCP/IP, RS232) and translate them into ASCII, to translate data for network elements 11 that filter the data into discrete events. The events, unique occurrences such as power failures, card failures and similar incidents of concern, may be processed at the gateway or passed on to the server for processing, or may be stored in a database. NetExpert administrator 16 interacts with gateway control 17 and management information base (MIB) 14 to control gateways in the system and manage command and response interactions.
Intelligent Gateway 12 contains Identification Rules which identify particular messages from the various devices and systems which are to be interfaced with the system. Intelligent Gateway 12 also contains Parse Rules which extract relevant information from the message stream, which may be stored or used in further analysis of the message. Intelligent Gateway 12 also contains Gateway Analysis rules which are basic if-then-else operators which allow the Gateway to analyze the data prior to forwarding the events and attributes on for further processing. Events and attributes contain significant information which is required in making decisions. The values of parsed attributes are taken from incoming raw data. Finally, Intelligent Gateway 12 also contains Dialogues which are commands that are sent back to the interfaced device and/or system. The Gateway itself reacts to outside messages or stimulation and can also be configured to poll devices for information.
Intelligent Gateways 12 are administered and controlled through Gateway Administration Editor 16. Administration Editor 16 specifies protocols, end of line (EOL) sequences, device specifics, etc. that are specific to each Gateway. Gateway Control window 17 is where Gateways to various outside elements can be started and stopped. Archive functions as well as other diagnostic tools can be controlled through Gateway Control 17 and Administration Editor 16.
IDEAS.TM. 13 (a trademark of Objective Systems Integrators) is the rule engine of the NetExpert system 10. It receives and processes events coming from Intelligent Gateway 12 and elements 11. It first identifies or discovers an object related to the event being processed by using attribute values parsed by Intelligent Gateway 12. IDEAS 13 then executes rule sets applicable to the event's behavior. This rule execution may thread through many related rules before completion. For example, the rule sets may specify that the event be delivered to operator work station 15, where the operator, by looking at a GUI can view the information in a desired format and may also specify that the data is to be stored in management information base (MIB) database 14. Thus, IDEAS 13 compares the incoming information from Intelligent Gateway 12 with the established rule set for determining the subsequent action to be taken.
NMSs and OSSs must provide to the user, system scalability, which is the ability to continually add more elements, as well as flexibility, which is the ability to add a wide range of elements, while maintaining simplicity, efficiency and low cost. While currently at least the NetExpert NMS/OSS offers the ability to tailor the management logic for any element without the use of programmers, a significant amount of human effort and cost is still required. The higher the level of the TMN business model, the more human effort and cost is likely to be incurred in delivering the functionally required by the end user.